For some people the Road to Recovery can seem like a long and distant path for them to travel. It appears lifeless and barren and the goal seems to be too far in away for them to reach.
But the reality is it may be only a couple steps away…
12 Step path
Many past victims of Substance Use Disorder have found their answer to traveling the Road to Recovery through the Twelve Steps of Personal Development. Now whether you call this pathway the 12 Steps of AA, NA or any other addictive compulsive disorder – they are truly steps of personal development. I have seen them successfully be utilized by individuals for everything from Anger Management to Substance Use Disorders.
The key is understanding the steps and what they are asking you to do…
Step #1 – Admit we were powerless…
Step #2 – Believe a power greater than ourselves can restore us…
Step #3 – Turned our will and lives over…
It is at these Steps, we need to admit we need assistance.
These first three steps are simply asking us to come to the realization that we DO have an issue which is affecting our life and that issue is one we cannot presently control.
Although we would all like to believe we can handle the hardships we face in our lives – the reality is that sometimes we are not equipped with the proper tools to handle those issues. These steps ask us to recognize there is a power (spiritual, informational, personal) greater than ourselves that may be able to help. That “power”, regardless of its conceptual inception is necessary to find a way to live life productively.
Step #4 – Made a searching and fearless of ourselves…
Step #5 – Admitted the exact nature of our wrongs…
Step #6 – Were entirely ready to remove our defects…
These next steps ask of to do ONE THING – recognize our need for change !!
These steps we need to recognize we are human and we can act in both positive and negative ways with ourselves and the people around us. They ask us to be thoroughly HONEST with ourselves and not try to put the blame for our actions on someone else.
Finally, they ask us to make a personal change by recognizing those harmful or negative aspects about ourselves and finding more positive ways of reacting.
It is only through our behavioral change that we can create a difference in our personal pathways.
Next Step…
Step #7 – Become humble to our shortcomings…
Step #8 – Make a list of people we harmed and make amends…
Step #9 – Make direct amends to those we have harmed…
Some people find these next steps to be difficult, because they don’t want to confront the people they have harmed – or they feel they will be met with distrust and anger. But to truly understand what these steps are asking, we need to understand what it means to “make amends”. In the dictionary, the term “amends” means “to change for the better” – “to remove or correct faults in”.
Remember one fact – “if nothing changes – nothing changes”.
In “changing for the better” or “removing or correcting our faults”, we make our amends to those around us. The actual definition of the word “amend” means “to change” or “to put right“. Direct confrontation of those we have harmed or injured may not always be the best method to make amends, as it may lead to emotional distress for that person. After they see the changes in your personal behavior, over a period of time, they may approach you with a more accepting attitude.
Step #10 – Continue to take personal inventory and when wrong, promptly admit it…
Step #11 – Use prayer and meditation to stay vigilant in your recovery process…
Step #12 – Having had a personal awakening, carry the message and continue the practice…
These final steps ask only one thing of you in your recovery – continue to practice the steps and share what you have learned about yourself, so that you may be able to help others become the person you have now decided you are going to be for the rest of your life.
Twelve steps – four large leaps of faith, in a program that can help lead a person in a positive direction. Is it possible you may need more help – well, that’s where you need to remember the first three steps and to ask for help.